OAlthough bride kidnappings are more common in Kyrgyzstan than anywhere else in the world, the kidnappings that occur in Rwanda are often associated with the most violence. The Republic of Rwanda is a country in Central and East Africa, and is one of the smallest countries on the African mainland. Throughout this small country, bride kidnapping is prevalent in most areas, given that this ritual is not specifically outlawed. Similar to the ritual in Kyrgyzstan, bride kidnapping in Rwanda often is “enforced” first throughout abduction, then through rape. The kidnapper and his companions typically rape the woman that they have just kidnapped to ensure that she submits to marriage. Typically, after this occurs, the woman or her family consent to the marriage because they feel obligated to, believing that the woman is no longer “pure” or desirable. However, if the consent is still not given, the kidnappers will often impregnate the woman, making her ineligible to marry. According to a recent study, “7% of women in Rwanda encountered their first sexual experience against their will and 13% of women suffer sexual harassment in public on a day to day basis” (https://www.theclever.com/15-awful-realities-about-bride-kidnapping/). As bride kidnapping continues to grow, many men are now deciding to keep their women as property, or “concubine” rather than marry them.

Ruremesha, RIGHTS-RWANDA: Marriage by Abduction Worries Women’s Groups

Julius Adekunle, Culture and Customs of Rwanda, Published by Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007, p. 106

Tom Streissguth, Rwanda in Pictures, p. 39; Jean Ruremesha, RIGHTS-RWANDA: Marriage by Abduction Worries Women’s GroupsArchived 25 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Inter Press Service, 7 October 2003.